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'We'll break Palestinians' legs'
07/02/2008 15:05 - (SA)
Cairo - Egypt's foreign minister said that no further violations of its borders would be tolerated in the wake of a 12-day breach on its frontier with Gaza and said anyone daring to cross would have their legs broken, the state news agency reported.
The uncharacteristically assertive remarks by Ahmed Aboul Gheit came during a late night interview on state television, in which he criticised both Israel and the militant Hamas movement for creating the unstable situation on Egypt's border.
"Anyone who violates Egypt's borders will get his leg broken," Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying.
He added that Egypt only allowed the Palestinians to cross the border after Hamas blew up the wall because of fears over the humanitarian situation resulting from Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
He blamed Israel for the humanitarian crisis and hardship that Gaza is experiencing, and for "responding to the Palestinian (Hamas) missiles with collective punishment".
'Laughable caricature'
He also criticised Hamas for launching those missile attacks, describing the confrontation as "laughable caricature" resulting in self-inflicted wounds.
"After Hamas's take over of Gaza, it has decided to clash with Israel, though this clash seems to be a laughable caricature, because clashing with an opponent in battle is supposed to mean damaging them," he said. "You do not go into battle just to damage yourself."
He noted that Hamas' missiles either fall back in Gaza and injure Palestinians or give the Israelis a pretext to attack them.
After 12 days during which Palestinians stocked up on food fuel and consumer products, Egypt re-closed the border pending a return to the 2005 international monitoring agreement involving Israeli and European Union monitors.
Hamas rejected the agreement and had called for a role in controlling the border. Since the closure, Palestinians had clashed with Egyptian border guards.
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